Metro News Release

Metrorail improvements planned for Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend Foggy Bottom to be closed; Customers advised to check metroopensdoors.com for important service changes before traveling

Metro will conduct significant safety and reliability work on the Blue, Orange and Red lines to comply with National Transportation Safety Board recommendations during the Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Holiday Weekend, causing some temporary service changes for customers. The agency will replace four track switches at the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station, make repairs to escalators and elevators, and improve cell phone coverage.

On the Blue and Orange Lines, there will not be service between the Rosslyn and Farragut West Metrorail stations, and the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station will be closed during the MLK Holiday Weekend from 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 14, to closing on Monday, Jan. 17. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Jan. 15 to 17, extra Metro employees will be available at the Rosslyn, Foggy Bottom-GWU and Farragut West Metrorail stations to help customers navigate around the weekend closure. Virginia riders headed into the city are encouraged to use the Yellow Line to get downtown to avoid the track closure, yet still conveniently transfer to Blue and Orange trains at L’Enfant Plaza.

To help riders get through the work zone, Metro will operate free shuttle buses between the Rosslyn (N. Moore St.), Foggy Bottom-GWU (23rd St., northbound, south of I St., N.W., and 23rd and I St., N.W., southbound) and Farragut West (17th and 18th and I St., N.W.) Metrorail stations. Throughout the holiday weekend, both entrances to the Farragut West Metrorail station (17th and I St. & 18th and I St., NW.) will remain open. Customers should build an extra 40 minutes into their travel plans if they need to pass through the work zone. Waits for shuttle buses could be long on Monday, Jan. 17, due to downtown traffic patterns. Customers are also advised to dress in warm layers to wait for shuttle buses.

Weekend Blue and Orange Line Service from 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 14 to closing on Monday, Jan. 17

During the holiday weekend, the Blue and Orange lines will be split in two sections. The Blue Line will operate between the Franconia-Springfield and Rosslyn Metrorail stations and between the Largo Town Center and Farragut West Metrorail stations. The Orange Line will operate between the Vienna-Fairfax/GMU and Rosslyn Metrorail stations and between the New Carrollton and Farragut West Metrorail stations.

Throughout the weekend, Blue Line trains will operate approximately every 20 minutes between the Franconia-Springfield and Rosslyn Metrorail stations with all 8-car trains. Blue Line trains operating between the Largo Town Center and Farragut West Metrorail stations will operate approximately every 15 to 20 minutes. Orange Line trains will operate approximately every 20 minutes between the Vienna-Fairfax/GMU and Rosslyn Metrorail stations with all 8-car trains. Orange Line trains operating between the New Carrollton and Farragut West Metrorail stations will operate approximately every 15 to 20 minutes.

For Metrorail riders who normally use the Blue Line between Franconia-Springfield and the Pentagon and who wish to bypass the weekend closure at the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station, Metro will operate additional Yellow Line trains between the Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail stations between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, Sunday, Jan. 16, and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 17.

In addition to the multi-day closure of the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station, Orange and Blue Line trains also will be sharing one track in two additional locations. Orange Line trains will share one track between the West Falls Church-VT/UVA and East Falls Church Metrorail stations to allow the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to conduct major construction activities that will eventually connect the new rail line to the existing Metrorail system. On the Blue Line, trains will share one track between the Van Dorn Street and Braddock Road Metrorail stations to allow for maintenance work related to the Wilson Bridge project.

Weekend Red Line Service from 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 14 to closing on Monday, Jan. 17

On the Red Line, trains will share one track between the Friendship Heights and Van Ness-UDC Metrorail stations as personnel repair tunnel leaks and install new bumpy tiles on the station platform at the Tenleytown Metrorail station. Metrorail customers traveling between these stations are advised to add 20 minutes to their travel times throughout the weekend.

Also, as part of the Red Line rehabilitation project, trains will share one track between the New York Avenue-Florida Avenue-Gallaudet U and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metrorail stations.

From Jan. 15 to 17, Red Line trains will depart approximately every 15 minutes from the Shady Grove and Glenmont Metrorail stations. From 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., more frequent service will be offered on the Red Line and will operate approximately every 7 to 8 minutes between the Van Ness-UDC and New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U Metrorail stations.

To alert customers about this work, Metro has posted signs in key stations, placed notices on station kiosks, taken out paid advertisements in newspapers, will send e-Alerts, and make train and system announcements. Additional information will be available on Metro's web site at www.metroopensdoors.com.

The Trip Planner, located on Metro's Web site, will not reflect the impact of this work on its schedules. Customers should allow more time for their trips because of this work. For more information on traveling by Metrobus or Metrorail, customers may call (202) 637-7000 or TTY (202) 638-3780. ###